Katarina M. Pliego holds a doctorate in Cello performance from the University of Northern Colorado, where she studied with Dr. Gal Faganel. She received her MM in Cello performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (UK), where she studied with Rudi de Groote. At RCS she was the recipient of a generous scholarship for most talented MM instrumentalist, received a distinction for her final recital and performed Brahms' Sextet with Ilya Gringolts all around Scotland. She completed her BA with Honours in Music from Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge (UK), where her teacher was Caroline Bosanquet. She has participated in various masterclasses given by Natalia Gutman, Karine Georgian, Daniel Rothmuller, Peter Stumpf, Silver Ainomae,, Barbara Thiem, Greg Sauer, Alexander Buzlov, David Grigorian, Heidi Litchauer, and members of the Brodsky and Chilingirian Quartets.

Mrs. Pliego has performed in several competitions and was the winner of the Arts Innovation Award, Rocky Mountain Concerto Competition and Southard Competition at UNC, received honorable mention at UNC Concerto Competition and BBC SSO Concerto Competition at RCS, twice received third prize at Competition for Young Slovenian Cellists and gave solo recitals with pianist Nafis Umerkulova as the winner of Jeunesses Musicales Concert Series. She also received a scholarship for the Stamford International Chamber Music Festival (UK) and for the Wagner Orchestra in Bayreuth (Germany). 

As a soloist she has performed with UNC Wind Ensemble, Anglia Ruskin University Orchestra, K239 Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Music School Žalec, and Nottingham Youth Orchestra. As an orchestral player she has performed as an assistant principal cellist in the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra at the London Music Festival and around Cambridge. As a principal cellist in Orion Orchestra she took part in Women of the World Festival at the Royal Festival Hall and performed to the British Royal Family in Cadogan Hall. In years 2013 and 2014 she toured the world as principal cellist in the Shen Yun Performing Arts and played in music halls such as Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Kennedy Center, Renee and Henry Segerstrom Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Place des Arts and Sony Centre.

Dr. Pliego is also an enthusiastic teacher and has been teaching all levels, from beginners to college, since 2012. Her young students in London have received distinctions for their ABRSM (board of the Royal Schools of Music) exams, and have won principal seats in their high school orchestras. In Colorado, several of her students have performed in Western States Honor Orchestra (Chamber and Symphony) and All State Orchestra, and received generous scholarships for the BM Cello Performance degrees. Dr. Pliego was Dr. Faganel’s teaching assistant for three years, while at UNC, and taught cello and chamber music to music education majors. She was also Dr. Faganel’s sabbatical replacement in Spring 2017, while also maintaining a position as adjunct professor of music history at the Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, and Columbia College in Denver.